Master of Urban Design Program Values

We want students in the master of urban design (MUD) program to receive instruction and experiences that strengthen their ability to function as the creative designers of places, capable of facilitating community discussions about design, and strategic thinkers who lead multidisciplinary design teams.

Creative Designers of Places

MUD students should be able to define transformational opportunities for place making. They will be able to demonstrate choices in the enhancement and creation of new places in cities and illustrate potential benefits. Their knowledge will give them the skills to communicate the benefits of reinvesting in a city’s public realm through coordination of public and private actions.

Active Listeners

Through assignments requiring community engagement, MUD students learn how to design, manage, and record the results of a community-based process. They learn how to facilitate meetings and workshops with a diversity of participants and how to provide analysis, alternatives, and case studies that inform city design policies.

Strategic Thinkers

MUD students learn how to apply best-practice and leading-edge strategies to the regenerative and sustainable design of cities. They are trained to meet the challenge ahead by designing cities and places that respond to climate change and carbon-neutral planning. We want our graduates to define the ingredients necessary for catalytic investments impacting both the environmental and economic health of cities.

Innovative Leaders

MUD students are provided experiences and teaching with a focus on leadership. They will become leaders of multidisciplinary city design teams. We want them to be the next generation of experts capable of defining the scope of urban design policymaking efforts. MUD students will be communication experts regarding urban design opportunities, choices, and strategies.